t2health - Dr. Jae Osenbachhttp://t2health.dcoe.mil/category/blog-authors/dr-jae-osenbach
Jae Osenbach, Ph.D. is a research psychologist and subject matter expert with the Mobile Health Program at the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2).
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Center for Telehealth & Technology, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
enHow do I know if an app is good to use with my patients?http://t2health.dcoe.mil/blogs/mobile-health/how-do-i-know-if-app-good-use-my-patients
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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this question. Here at T2, my job is to keep track of all the published research on apps that’s out there, and this means that I’m constantly on the lookout for randomized controlled trials, reviews, qualitative studies and other reported research related to apps.</p>
<p>
Every so often, I’ll present the current state of this research or give the highlights of the best studies I’ve found, and it never fails that someone will ask me how to know whether or not an app is good. By good, most people want to know if an app has been used with successful treatments, or contains evidence-based content. In other words, is it based on the best available, critically evaluated evidence or has it been found to be successful when used in treatment.</p>
<p>
The problem with this question is that most apps don’t contain citations (references to the study that shows the validity of an app’s content), so it’s a very difficult question to answer. While most printed materials or websites list information on what studies their content is based, with apps, because space is critical and users don’t like reading a lot of tiny text, references are often overlooked.</p>
<p>
That being said, there are quite a few apps available that are of extremely high quality and are immensely useful for that time between appointments. Here are a few tips on how to find a good one:
<ul>
<li>Search for apps developed by well-known organizations or universities.</li>
<li>Sometimes an app has an accompanying website that provides references. To find these sites, read the app marketplace description or do a Google search.</li>
<li>Glance at the app marketplace reviews. No matter how great the content of an app is, if it’s not a stable app (i.e., it crashes often), it’s not a good app.</li>
<li>Most apps listed on the app marketplaces include a section on how to contact the content developers. Send them an email asking for their content base.</li>
<li>Don’t always assume that a paid app is a better app; the bulk of evidence-based health apps are actually free. Beware of costly apps with vague marketplace descriptions.</li>
<li>Google Scholar and PubMed are always good standbys to use for app searches, if you have the time to wade through the material.</li>
</ul></p>
<p>
I understand that this answer isn’t fast or simple, and it’s not what most people want to hear. Just like any other tool that a healthcare provider uses in their practice, however, a recommendation for a “good app” shouldn’t be taken lightly.</p>
<p>
<i>All of T2’s apps are developed by subject matter experts using evidence-based content. Check out our <a href="http://t2health.dcoe.mil/category/products/mobile-app">app descriptions</a> to see if any look useful.</i></p></div></div></div><!--
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<span class="blog-author-description"><p>Jae Osenbach, Ph.D. is a research psychologist and subject matter expert with the Mobile Health Program at the <a href="/">National Center for Telehealth &amp; Technology (T2)</a>.</p>
<h5>The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Center for Telehealth &amp; Technology, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health &amp; Traumatic Brain Injury, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.</h5>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</span><div class="field-item even"> Read other posts by <a href="/category/blog-authors/dr-jae-osenbach">Dr. Jae Osenbach</a></div> </div>
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Tue, 23 Dec 2014 18:34:24 +0000Mobile Health683 at http://t2health.dcoe.milDoD Safe Helpline Apphttp://t2health.dcoe.mil/blogs/mobile-health/dod-safe-helpline-app
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-header field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://t2health.dcoe.mil/sites/default/files/DoD-SafeHelpLine-Banner1.PNG" width="245" height="156" alt="DoD Safe Helpline" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>
Unfortunately, there have been a lot of stories in the news lately about sexual assault in the military. Sexual assault is intentional sexual contact without consent. Oftentimes victims feel overwhelmed, alternating between feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety, and numbness (feeling nothing at all). Sexual assault can happen to both men and women, and perpetrators can also be male or female. In addition, 85 percent of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. Sexual assault victims are never responsible for their assailant’s behavior, no matter what they were wearing, how they were acting, or how much alcohol may have been involved.</p>
<p>
One of the most common questions asked by victims and those close to victims is “What do I do now?” In collaboration with the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) and the Sexual Assault and Prevention Response Office (SAPRO), the DoD has created the <a href="https://www.safehelpline.org/about-mobile">Safe Helpline App</a> for sexual assault support. This app has a fantastic list of features, such as free click-to-call and click-to-chat connections to immediate, live support and great educational material to learn about how to help victims and how to reduce your risk of becoming a victim. The app also features a customizable self-care plan that walks you through a quick set of questions to address emotional levels and then provides recommendations based upon your answers. For those who may be suffering from anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms due to a sexual assault, the app includes several calming and soothing exercises, such as guided breathing and muscle relaxation exercises, and visualization and soothing audio exercises.</p>
<p>
Always recommend to your patients these three steps to protect themselves from sexual assault: be alert, be prepared, and be assertive. They can be alert by trusting their instincts, being aware of their surroundings, watching for signs of trouble, getting themselves into a safe place, attracting help any way they can, and reporting unauthorized or suspicious people. Patients can be prepared by always travelling with a buddy, staying in groups, staying sober or drinking in moderation, never leaving a drink unattended or accepting a drink from an open container, walking only in lighted areas after dark, locking the doors to their home, and telling close friends when they go out with someone they don’t know very well. Lastly, they can be assertive by stating what they want and what they don’t want, quickly saying STOP and leaving (or calling for help) when they are feeling pressured or scared, and emphasizing that no means NO (not smiling or laughing when they are saying no; saying or repeating it with emphasis).</p>
<p>
For more support for service members who have experienced sexual assault or harassment, check out AfterDeployment’s <a href="http://www.afterdeployment.org/topics-military-sexual-trauma">Military Sexual Trauma</a> section.</p></div></div></div><!--
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<span class="blog-author-description"><p>Jae Osenbach, Ph.D. is a research psychologist and subject matter expert with the Mobile Health Program at the <a href="/">National Center for Telehealth &amp; Technology (T2)</a>.</p>
<h5>The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Center for Telehealth &amp; Technology, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health &amp; Traumatic Brain Injury, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.</h5>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</span><div class="field-item even"> Read other posts by <a href="/category/blog-authors/dr-jae-osenbach">Dr. Jae Osenbach</a></div> </div>
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Thu, 02 Jan 2014 18:43:57 +0000Mobile Health614 at http://t2health.dcoe.milTelehealth is just as good...http://t2health.dcoe.mil/blogs/mobile-health/telehealth-just-good
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My colleagues and I recently published a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/da.22165/abstract">meta-analysis</a> which compared synchronous telehealth therapy to standard care for the reduction of depression symptoms. For those unfamiliar with the term, telehealth is the use of technology to connect patients and providers separated by distance and time. Synchronous telehealth therapy is the use of videoconferencing or teleconferencing to conduct therapy with patients. Standard care, on the other hand, may involve face to face in-office therapy or “care-as-usual” – the therapy that a patient would normally receive in a general practitioner office.</p>
<p>
We specifically chose to look at synchronous telehealth because it is a growing a trend in care for those in rural areas and/or for those who may feel stigma if seen receiving therapy. What we found was that there were no statistically significant differences between the effectiveness of synchronous telehealth therapy and regular (non-telehealth) care for the reduction of depression symptoms. In addition, when we broke the studies apart to separate whether we compared the telehealth group to a face-to-face therapy group or the telehealth group to a “care-as-usual” therapy group, synchronous telehealth therapy was superior to “care-as-usual” (telehealth therapy had similar effectiveness to face-to-face therapy). Other researchers have published a similar examination of synchronous telehealth therapy compared to non-telehealth therapy for reduction in PTSD symptoms and found comparable results.</p>
<p>
Tying into the telehealth therapy trend, another colleague here at T2 looked into the <a href="http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/tmj.2011.0219">usability and feasibility</a> of doing synchronous telehealth therapy over Facetime (Apple’s version of Skype) with active duty service members, and their reactions were mostly positive. They didn’t mind the small screen size and didn’t have any complaints about holding the phone to do the video chat. This is great news for professionals out there who want to check out the possibility of therapy over telehealth technologies such as Skype or Facetime.</p>
<p>
As telehealth technologies continue to rapidly advance, more patients will be demanding access to health care professionals via telehealth methods. Not only does treatment over telehealth technologies provide health care to those in rural or hard-to-reach communities, but it also reduces the burden of travel time and delay in care. Yet the insurance industry is falling behind on this important topic. Although there is a greatly reduced cost for the provider who utilizes telehealth (no office requirement, easier access to patients, can easily adjust to irregular hours, etc.), many insurance companies do not yet reimburse health care professionals for telehealth therapy with their patients. So before you jump on the telehealth bandwagon, check with your insurance company.</p>
<p>
For more information about telehealth and how you can use it in your practice, check out T2’s <a href="/programs-telehealth.html">Telehealth Programs</a> website.</p></div></div></div><!--
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<div class="field field-name-field-blog-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<span class="blog-author-description"><p>Jae Osenbach, Ph.D. is a research psychologist and subject matter expert with the Mobile Health Program at the <a href="/">National Center for Telehealth &amp; Technology (T2)</a>.</p>
<h5>The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Center for Telehealth &amp; Technology, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health &amp; Traumatic Brain Injury, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.</h5>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</span><div class="field-item even"> Read other posts by <a href="/category/blog-authors/dr-jae-osenbach">Dr. Jae Osenbach</a></div> </div>
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Thu, 05 Dec 2013 17:57:18 +0000Mobile Health602 at http://t2health.dcoe.mil